BlackBerry Protect now available (open beta) in North America and Latin America

RIM just let us know that the long talked about BlackBerry Protect app/service is now available to users. We took a detailed look at this wayyy back in July 2010, so check out our BlackBerry Protect Preview to get up to speed.

BlackBerry Protect is a free application that allows users to wirelessly backup, restore and locate their BlackBerry smartphone. In the event that their BlackBerry smartphone is misplaced, lost or stolen, BlackBerry Protect provides features like: remote device wipe, remote device lock, ‘Lost and Found' screen, locate device on a map, remote activation of the BlackBerry smartphone loud ringer, and wireless device backup and restore.

Key features of BlackBerry Protect include:

Remote Device Management:

Remote wipe

Remote lock and ‘Lost and Found' screen

Remote activate loud ringer

Cell Tower and GPS device tracking

Over the Air (OTA) Backup and Restore:

Contacts and Calendar

Memos and Tasks

Browser Bookmarks

Text Messages

Administration:

Based on BlackBerry ID system

Web-based End User portal

Operator Call Center access

If you want to give it a try, you can find the BlackBerry Protect app within the Test Center in BlackBerry App World (note for some users it may take up to 24 hours for it show up) and you can head to blackberry.com/protect to download, login to the web interface, and for more info.

Installed Protect and now my trackpad is set on Tap to click and its screwing everything up! I don't know how to get it back and get rid of tap to click as thats not even an option you can change. Does anyone know how to do it?

Unless I'm very wrong, I thought BES IT can do this already so that might explain why you can't use it. Plus, even if it worked, your IT might block it as it saves your data outside your company's BES environment that RIM cant access.

Tried this program after easy downloading today. Intuitive and user friendly but currently deciding whether I should keep using it as I need to turn off the encryption on my device all the time for this app from BB to work ! That sucks big time and also the lack of password protect too. C'mon RIM, you can do better than that even though its free.

Have a 9800 with BIS. I don't have BES, but I do have BlackBerry Desktop Redirector on my office PC, which redirects e-mails to my BlackBerry. Is that the same as having BES? I don't have a BES license, etc. Needless to say, BB Protect is giving me the BES error as a lot of other people. Any advise?

I like the software but when I looked at the map on the website it doesnot get you an actual address. It shows the location but what I'm supposed to do if some one got it in their home, go to every home in the area and asked politely, did you find my phone?

Woke up from nap to see through multiple news feeds that bbprotect is available. Great, log into app world, type password, download, click run, get told I have to disable encryption, and the magic ends. I could use lookout protection before with encryption on but not a product made for bb by RIM? That sucks and hopefully they will hear about that irritating people enough to where they work to fix it. Also like others have said needing a password to uninstall or make any changes to it. Otherwise jerkoff who just stole my phone only has to stumble upon show all and can see I have bb protect and turn it off / log out and then hey they have a new bb, all my info, and I'm outta luck with only my most recent DM backup. Luckily I change os's like underwear. Happy to see it but I think it needs some major changes to become perfect

Download went well, Backup was smooth. I tried a partial back up of just contacts and memos over wifi. It went well. Backed up the rest over data went well. I'm amazed at how quick the backup went versus other apps I have used.

I do have an issue though. The commands work great as they should. I tried all except the wipe feature. However, I noticed when wifi is turned on the commands do not come through. I don't know if it is device specific or not, I'm using a Torch. Maybe it is my wifi or internet, I don't know. All I know is when wifi is turned on commands did not reach the phone, like they do with wifi turned off.

ive been running smrtguard pro for over a year now (and i think i just won a free lifetime subscription with their latest contest)
installed the sprint total protection a week or two ago
installed lookout mobile the other day
and now have blackberry protect on top of it LOL

yes its overkill...i started it out just to compare the differences and also i dont mind having multiple choices in case one acts up or goes down.

I'm in the UK with a 9780. It installed find and backed up ok, however when I login to the Protect site I don't see my backup listed and i can't do the additional features. I wonder if it's because I'm in a region not supported or because I only installed the program just now.

Working fine here on my 9700 running 5.0, tried most of the options & all seems good. Thanks RIM, I'll be installing this on my wife's Berry when she gets back today & letting my other friends know about it as well.

Can we have a discussion whether we need Blackberry Protect if we have SmrtGuard, or if we should remove SmrtGuard if we install Blackberry Protect? Do we really need both? Wouldn't running both at the same time eat up both battery life and memory (esp on the 9700) ??

I don't know, peace of mind maybe? I'd rather be using a Blackberry product on my Blackberry. I had been using Smrtguard for close to a year, and have never had an update, customer support is nill, and never liked the idea of a 3rd party app having information on me. I just deleted Smrtgaurd from my phone, and am now using Blackberry Protect.

Also, I like the notifications it gives when it backs up, and so far, it's running alot more smoothly.

i cant login to blackberry protect, i input the right email and password for my id and it says the blackberry protect service is temporarily unavailable or something but others have been using it, i got it off the appworld today, im from canada. what should i do?

From Chile (EntelPCS). Downloaded and installed smoothly, performed my first backup easily. I have received the pertinent messages of success in instalation, registration and fist backup. Tried a restore from the device and the backup was informed, in my device software, to be there in BlackBerry Server and available. But when I log in the web site there is no device attached to my account, nor backups. Somebody experiencing the same?

Your right about the security of the app and there should be some password to stop that.

On the other hand its not necessary when you can remote lock the device which would prevent someone from deleting the app and software shutdown of the radio. Plus you should already have a password on your phone anyway.

The BBM contact backup is not needed since BBM app already has a remote backup service of its own.

The only problem I have with the app is location service for non-GPS phones like my Flip 8220

If someone found your phone and saw Blackberry Protect on the phone - they could delete it before you have a chance to lock your phone but I use an app called Everylock to lock the access to the app - works great!

Why not just hide the icon, then no one knows its on your phone anyway unless they really think to go searching for it which I doubt most people will, at least not right away & that will give you time to lock it up with Protect, set off the alarm & do whatever else you'd like. Just a thought. Some people I know with Blackberries forget that they've hidden icons & don't remember the "show all" option after a while anyway.

Yes, you are right, you can logout or uninstall the app without a password... hope RIM fix it! About BBM Contacts, they already backup OTA in the bbm, I think thats the reason they didn't put the functionality in BB Protect!

9650 on VZW, BIS, OS6. Working great for me. Clicked on blackberry.com/protect link above, it directed me to App World, scanned bar code on screen w/BB and downloaded OTA. Already made 1st backup. All functions on device and website are working fine.

I contacted VZW regarding this. They contacted RIM and informed me that the capped data plan that I have is not supported, and that the only one that will work will be the unlimited for $30. I'm not very happy right now.

Torch 9800 on AT&T.. Downloaded and Installed Fine. As soon as I try to run the app, REBOOT. My phone has even looped multiple times in the reboot process. It did finally come back up; I tried to run BB protect again... and once again, REBOOT. This s*** is pissing me off

Just downloaded on my Torch from AppWorld and it works great...tried the locate and loud ringer features...pretty cool. Glad to see this directly from RIM and that it is a free service as it should be for us BlackBerry users.

I was really looking forward to the public release of this app, but imagine my disappointment to find that they weren't able to resolve the issues with those on a BES. If you're on a BES this app won't work. On top of that, a funny thing is that if you have memory encryption turned on it seems that it won't run. Nice, I encrypt my device memory to protect the information on my device and the only way to run BlackBerry Protect to provide additional protection if the device is lost is to turn off memory encryption.

I have a 9700 running the latest OS6 on Rogers. I tried installing and I get a message that BB Protect isn't compatible with an enterprise server....but I am not on an enterprise server. Can someone help me out please?

I don't know if this helps... I was playing around on my BB 9700 OS6 and I came across a setting under options (I am not sure where), with a drop down selection BES "Allow"/"Deny" or something like that. I got the phone from Telus and BB Protect works! so, you may want to check that out because if you have "Allow" it may be the source of your problem.

I am not sure if I am helping you guys or not. I hope this helps. Sorry I don't remember where I came across it.

Oh.. I have Telus 500 MB data plan. (Some people say they can't get it on even 1GB data plan, which I don't know why)

BlackBerry Protect is nice and free! I appreciate that it comes directly from RIM, too many other third party companies offer services just to have access to your phone and data. I have more trust in RIM's pledge to security.

This is a really great app! Very unobtrusive and easy to set up and modify. But make sure you also have another backup program for pictures, third-party apps, etc., since BB Protect doesn't. Frequent Desktop Manager backups should also be done. It saved my butt the last time my phone bricked. Multiple backups are never a bad idea. So take the few minutes to protect all your data.

Blackberry Protect is the shiznit!!! Finally OTA backup and restore and all the other great service coming with it! Also I would advise peeps to download it straight from AppWorld to avoid errors! But man, i downloaded it and its sweet! Did my backup, tried the website, there is nothing that the competition (iPhone or Android) can offer that compares to this service and its free!!! Plus I wouldnt trust Google with my personal info! I already have a hard time using there maps since im sure there using my data for other purpose! I cant imagine what they would do with my backup info!! :0

Woke up this morning, checked Twitter and noticed someone I follow had uploaded an OTA of BlackBerry Protect to mybbota.com so I immediately checked App World, and what do you know, it was there! I just completed my first backup and everything seems legit so far! I'm glad to see this finally released! Been a long time coming/waiting!

In my zeal to hurry up and install this I did not read that this was not compatible with BES users, until of course I tried to use it. Does anyone know if there is a version coming down that will allow the features of this to co-exist with BES?

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